IREARMS don’t have to be ornate to be beautiful. Case in
point:
Caesar Guerini’s new limited produc-tion Woodlander “Dove
Special.” At first glance, the Woodlander Dove Special seems rather
austere. But when you look more closely, the fine details found on
this gun make it stand out—and it might just be the best value in
upland shotguns for this year.
As the name implies, the Dove Special is based upon the
Wood-lander over/under, Guerini’s entry level �eld gun. Calling the
Wood-lander “entry level” doesn’t really do this gun justice,
though, for it comes with a boxlock action that is case colored
with a protective Invisalloy �nish and an oil-rubbed walnut stock
with a wood butt plate and a Bulino style engraving of a grouse on
the bottom of the receiver. The standard Woodlander is an
understated but beautiful �rearm, and so is the Dove Special.
The new Dove Special Wood-lander shares much of the same design
architecture as the standard Woodlander model, but there are
noticeable differences. For starters, the grouse on the bottom
of the receiver has been replaced by a brace of mourn-ing doves on
the limited gun. The sides of the receiver are still clean, and
they have the same case colored/Invisalloy
auto ejectors, and Anson style release. The 20-gauge version of
the Dove Special weighs around 6.75 pounds depending upon barrel
length and wood density while the 28-gauge gun will weigh between
6.25 and 6.50 pounds.
AT THE RANGEI had an opportunity to test the Wood-lander Dove
Special during a Caesar Guerini event at Greystone Castle in Texas
in early 2020. The Dove Special at that event was a prototype, a
gun Guerini USA Owner, Wes Lang, designed to be the ultimate dove
hunting gun.
For starters, this gun balances beau-tifully. The added barrel
length distrib-utes more of the weight forward, which is
particularly bene�cial for taller shoot-ers. The availability of
28-, 30-, and 32-inch models makes these guns even more versatile.
They’re light enough to carry in the �eld and yet those long
barrels make the gun perfectly suited for pass shooting or even
sporting clays.
Following the gun’s introduction, I was able to test the Dove
Special at the Greystone’s sporting clays course. The single silver
bead is in keeping with the gun’s traditional styling, and the oil
�nish Turkish walnut stock is elegant and functional. The gun came
naturally to the shoulder and seemed to have close to a 50/50 POI
based on how it shot for me, ideal for a �eld gun. I’m also a fan
of the pistol grip design on this gun in terms of both aesthetics
(the wood is excellent and the diamond checkering is clean and
even) and the comfortable grip angle. The trigger is the same model
that comes in the Woodlander and is smooth and clean. The
tang-mounted barrel selector/safety should be familiar to anyone
who has shot Guerini guns before, and the �ve nickel-plated choke
tubes �t �ush and offer constrictions ranging from Cylinder to Full
for any
hunting or sporting needs. Speaking of sporting guns, the
Wood-
lander Dove Special with 30- or 32-inch barrels would make a
superb, light-recoiling sporting clays gun. Granted,
GUERINI’S LATEST LIMITED PRODUCTION SHOTGUN IS PERFECTLY SUITED
FOR DOVE HUNTING—AND JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE.
Caesar Guerini Woodlander Dove Special
�nish that looks classy and stands up to harsh elements. The
Dove version also has a solid top and mid rib, which only adds to
this gun’s charm. Since it’s only available in 20- and 28-gauge and
as a 20/28 combo, the Dove Special
will likely come with 6mm ribs (the 12-gauge Woodlander comes
with a 7mm rib, but all the sub-gauge guns wear 6mm ribs). In
addition to the limited gauge selec-tion, the Dove Special also
comes with longer barrels than the stan-dard Woodlander. Buyers can
select from 28-, 30-, or 32-inch chrome-lined barrels, which makes
sense for a gun that is primarily built for making passing shots on
fast-moving birds.
The Dove Special deviates from the standard Woodlander formula
in other ways, too. The standard Woodlander comes with a wooden
butt plate, Schnabel forend and a round Prince-of-Wales grip,
whereas the Dove Special comes with an upgraded �at-bottom grip,
rounded forend and a rubber recoil pad. Both guns do come with tang
mounted safety/barrel selector,
F
it won’t have all the extras you typically �nd on some of
Guerini’s sport-speci�c models like adjustable combs and ribs, but
the Woodlander has the balance and build quality to make a superb
light sporting gun. For that matter, the gun would also work well
for skeet, and though a sub-gauge �eld gun shooting a 50/50 pattern
might not be the ideal trap gun it would work �ne there, too. After
a few rounds of clays at Greystone Castle I can tell you that the
gun’s smooth handling and very good factory trigger make it a
suitable competition gun, and the 20-gauge I shot at almost 7
pounds reduces recoil fatigue.
The Guerini did its part, and it solidi�ed the notion that this
sub-$5,000 Italian beauty is one of the best guns in this price
range. It’s worth noting that the early prototype model I tested
came with the wooden butt plate, but Guerini has, as previously
mentioned, decided to out�t the Dove Special with a rubber recoil
pad.
Despite its typical Guerini good looks, the Woodlander Dove
Special is not a gun you’ll need to baby. The Invisalloy protective
coating on the receiver is quite durable without taking anything
away from the striking case color metal �nish, and the oil-�nish
walnut stock looks great but stood up well to the handling demands
of a typical day in the �eld or at the range. This is an exclusive
gun, but not one that was meant to be trapped in the dark inner
recesses of a gun safe. It’s not as ornate as some �eld guns in
this class, but that’s precisely the Woodlander Dove Special’s
charm: it’s understated but elegant, and it is mechanically solid.
What’s more, it’s backed by the best customer service in the
industry: Guerini’s service depart-ment has earned an excellent
reputation and they are invested in satisfying their customers—an
important consideration any time you buy a gun.
© P
HO
TOG
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PH
ER
’S N
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E
Note: some of these figures are based on an early production
model and may vary slightly
on the finished gun.
ACTION
Over/Under
GAUGE
20, 28
CHAMBER
3” (20-ga), 2 ¾” (28-ga)
BARREL LENGTH
28-, 30-, or 32-Inches
WEIGHT
6 lbs., 5 oz.–6 lbs., 9 oz. (28-ga); 6 lbs., 10 oz.–6 lbs.,
14 oz. (20-ga)
STOCK
Oiled Turkish walnut, pistol grip
RECEIVER FINISH
Case colored, gold doves on bottom of the receiver
BARREL FINISH
Blue
CHOKES
5 (CYL, IC, M, IM, F), flush fit
SIGHTS
Silver Bead
MSRP
$4,650 (20-ga or 28-ga), $6,875 (20/28-ga combo)
WEBSITE
gueriniusa.com
SPECIF ICAT IONS
BY BRAD F ITZPATRICK>S H O T G U N R E P O R T
30 DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021 | GUNDOGMAG.COM 31 GUNDOGMAG.COM
| DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021
